Rappers to watch out for in 2017

Runtown This artist is fast putting a mark on Nigeria’s rap scene. Douglas Jack Agu, popularly known as Runtown, has a diverse musical style that includes rap, hip-hop, reggae and R&B. He has collaborated with artists like J-Martins, Timaya, and Davido. Signed to Eric Many Entertainment record label, he has several albums, including ‘Ghetto University’, […]

Runtown

This artist is fast putting a mark on Nigeria’s rap scene. Douglas Jack Agu, popularly known as Runtown, has a diverse musical style that includes rap, hip-hop, reggae and R&B. He has collaborated with artists like J-Martins, Timaya, and Davido. Signed to Eric Many Entertainment record label, he has several albums, including ‘Ghetto University’, ‘From the Keys to the Strings’, ‘Become’, and ‘Runtown 1’. His track ‘Mad Over You’ was released in 2016 and charted at number 38 on the Billboard Twitter Top Tracks chart.

 

Phyno

Real nameChibuzor Nelson Azubuike, Phyno started out as a producer and went on to become one of Nigeria’s most talented rappers. He raps in Igbo language with such charisma that’s earned him a lot of fans. He’s popular for hit tracks that include ‘Ghost Mode’, ‘Man of the Year’, ‘Alobam’, ‘Parcel’ and ‘O Set’. As a producer, he has worked with artists like Timaya, Flavour, Ruggedman, Bracket, J. Martins and Mr. Raw.

Falz

He raps in English that’s so unique it has won the heart of many. Currently owner of an independent record label called Bahd Guys Records, he describes his style of music as ‘Wahzup Music’, a fusion of comic lyrics with contemporary hip-hop with Yoruba accent. Folarin Falana, better known as Falz, became a household name after his song ‘Marry Me’, won him a nomination in the ‘Best Collaboration of the Year’ category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

Mode Nine

Anyone super familiar with this rapper will remember one of his biggest hit tracks, ‘Cry’, on which he featured Nigerian singer Nnenna. Born Babatunde Olusegun Adewale in London on the 14th of June, 1975, he soon became better-known as Mode Nine, the ferocious-yet-nimble rapper widely believed to be the greatest in Africa today. Along the way, he has snagged numerous awards, released some hit singles and well-received albums. He has performed alongside – and opened for numerous visiting internationals – like Wyclef Jean, Akon, Kanye West, T-Pain, LL Cool J, Nas, and more.

Mz Kiss

This rapper was influenced to rap in Yoruba language by Da’grin. Real name Akindele Justina Omowunmi, Mz Kiss was born and brought up in Lagos. Known as a versatile artist, she released a single titled ‘Fuji’ months ago. She started off her music career officially in 2010, when she released her debut song ‘You Go Craze’ followed by ‘Holla at Me’.

Ice Prince

He rose to fame after releasing ‘Oleku’ which became one of Nigeria’s most remixed songs of all time. His debut album, ‘Everybody Loves Ice Prince’, was released in 2011. Panshak Zamani, stage name Ice Prince is known for songs like ‘Aboki’, ‘More’, Gimme Dat’ and ‘I Swear’ in his 2013 album. In 2015 he was announced as the new Vice Chairman of Chocolate City.

Jesse Jagz

This rapper is known for his exploration of different genres of music. Jagz has four albums, ‘Jag of All Tradez’, ‘Jagz Nation’, volume one and two, and ‘The Indestructible Choc Boi Nation Company’. Between 2006 and 2007, Jesse Jagz had three songs simultaneously dominating the top ten charts on Cool FM, RayPower FM as well as Rhythm FM. His hit songs include ‘Nobody Test Me’, ‘Bend Down Low’, ‘Sugar Cane Baby’, and ‘The Greatest’, while his hit song ‘My Brother’ was selected as part of the International Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY) 2008 compilation.

MI

His career as a rapper soared when his song ‘Crowd Mentality’ became popular in 2016. Then his debut album ‘Talk About it’, released in 2008 to critical acclaim. He has three albums, the most recent titled ‘The Chairman’. One of Nigeria’s most renowned rappers, he has been the Chief Executive Officer of Chocolate City since 2015. Many will certainly be looking forward to more of his songs being released this year.